Catch Me
by xXxHEARTxofxICExXx
Summary: "We can't walk alone at all, and if it takes me the rest of my life to be by your side, I'd do it for you" Rin/OC
1. New Girl

**Set after the anime. The only difference is that the class size is staying with the original group, as opposed to adding all those extras in that appeared in the last episode.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Exorcist or any of the songs quoted.**

**xxxxx**

Rin stared over at his brother who, as usual, had his fangirls flocking around him, all trying to offer him lunch while Yukio looked around helplessly for some means of escape, namely, Rin. Rin, however, had cleverly hid himself behind a tree today, leaving his brother to fend for himself.

This happened almost every day. Yukio would exit the school building for lunch and be immediately swarmed by his 'fans' all offering him lunch. Yukio would then grab Rin and run off, making some excuse about promising to eat with his brother.

_Stupid Yukio. All those girls who want you to eat what they made for you and you can't bring yourself to bring yourself to accept even once. What's so special about you? No one ever offers _me _food. _

Almost in exact sync with that thought, Rin's stomach growled. Sighing in frustration, he left his hiding place in search of his own meal, oblivious to the pair of eyes that followed him the whole way.

**xxxxx**

_Finally, the end of the school day_.

Rin smiled to himself. That meant that it was time for exorcist training. His skills with his powers had vastly been improving since their recent battle with Satan and the fight to close the massive Gehenna Gate he had opened, though his still fell asleep in class.

Rin opened the door to the classroom, hardly noticing that he was once again the last there, and sank down in his usual seat. Leaning back I his chair, he made himself comfortable, closing his eyes while waiting for the teacher.

He didn't have to wait long.

At the sound of the door opening, he cracked one eye open, only to have them both shoot open in surprise as his chair fell forward and landed back on all four legs with a loud thud.

Yukio had entered the room, prepared to teach class, though Rin had become accustomed to that. What shocked him was the girl that followed him in.

The really pretty girl.

Standing at approximately five foot five and dressed in a basic black tank top and blue jeans, the girl before him had light blue hair, pulled back in a tight bun, with a few loose curls framing her face, and curves that could put even Shimei in her school uniform to shame. But that wasn't even the most striking thing about her.

No, the thing that that caught his attention, oddly enough, was her eyes. The bright silver orbs that stared back at the class curiously were otherworldly, even to him, a demon. He found he couldn't look away.

_She was beautiful._

Rin didn't even have to look to know that every other male in the room was looking at this girl with a similar expression to his own, except Yukio of course. Hell, even the girls were staring at her.

_Yukio must be immune to girls if he isn't staring at this heavenly creature._

"Class." Yukio said, in an attempt to get everyone's attention. "Class!" he yelled louder when his first attempt went unnoticed.

Rin tore his eyes away from the mystery girl to scowl at his twin. The others did the same.

"This is our new student, Sora Mizuno." He continued. "She just recently transferred here and is at the same level as the rest of you as far as exorcist training is concerned. Please make her feel welcomed." Turning to Sora he said, "Feel free to sit anywhere."

As her name was introduced to the class, Sora grinned and lifted her hand in a way of greeting. Once Yukio had finished speaking, Sora dropped her hand and moved to take the open seat right behind Rin, everyone staring at she moved.

At that point Yukio's phone rang and after a quick conversation, promptly walked out, with only a quick "I'll be back shortly." To accompany his going.

Suguro was the first to recover and held out his hand. "I'm Ryuji Suguro. Everyone calls me Bon." He said gruffly. Sora tentatively shook the offered hand with a small smile.

Not wanting to be outdone by his rival, Rin wasted no time in turning around and sticking out his own hand in greeting. "I'm Rin Okamura. Pleasure to meet you Sora." Giving her one of his toothy grins.

Sora reached out to take the outstretched hand, grinning back. However, at the moment their hands touched, a current seemed to travel from Rin to Sora, blowing her hair back in a splash of blue flame.

The reaction from everyone was instantaneous. The rest of that class exclaimed in one way or another. Sora's eyes widened in surprise and her grin dropped. And Rin released her hand as if he'd been shocked.

"Shit." Rin cursed. "I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" he panicked and a soft smile returned to Sora's face as she waved her hands in front of her face, trying to indicate that no damage was done. As Rin opened his mouth to apologize again, Yukio returned, quickly grabbing the class's attention and beginning his lesson, the incident momentarily forgotten.

Class ended early and as Yukio dismissed everyone, Rin turned around to make sure Sora was alright. But just as he opened his mouth Yukio interrupted. "Sora, I need to see you for a moment please."

Sora nodded and waved goodbye to everyone as she followed Yukio out of the classroom.

It wasn't until she had left that Rin realized that she had never spoken a single word.


	2. A Day for New Things

**Your eyes, they shine so bright  
I want to save their light  
I can't escape this now  
Unless you show me how**

**-Demons by Imagine Dragons (…how fitting)**

That night Rin lay in bed, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling wondering about the new girl.

_Sora._

The name was certainly fitting, given her hair and eyes. Rin smiled to himself. This girl had really gotten his attention. He laughed out loud as he recalled Shima's face when he had seen her. The perverted teenager had been knocked senseless for the first time since Rin had met him and his jaw had nearly hit the floor.

He laughed once more before switching focus, his thoughts growing serious. _Why hadn't she spoken?_ Sora had made absolutely no sound the entire class, besides the sound of her footsteps. This only served to peak his curiosity about the girl.

_Well, I'm not going to get anywhere by wondering._

Letting the matter rest for the moment, Rin rolled over and fell to sleep. He would find answers tomorrow.

**xxxxx**

The next day began the same as every other day had since Rin had started at True Cross Academy. He woke up late, his brother giving some excuse about his fruitless attempts to wake him up, leaving Rin to inhale breakfast in a single bite and run out the door so as not to be late to class. And class, well, Rin always did hate school. Choosing his usual seat by the window, he promptly fell asleep until the teacher dismissed them for lunch.

Walking outside, he noticed that once again, Yukio had been instantly swarmed by his fans. Rin once again choose to hide behind the tree, chuckling to himself.

That is, until he was tapped on the shoulder.

Rin whirled around, throwing his arms up in defense, with a loud, rather un-manly scream. It took him a few seconds to calm down before registering a very surprised Sora standing in front of him, eyes wide.

Rin blushed and relaxed, putting one hand behind his head. "Sora!" he grinned. "I didn't think you attended the high school. I mean, you don't wear the uniform and I haven't seen you in classes." He finished, trailing off as he took in her attire, which consisted of black cargo shorts, flip-flops and a loose-fitting grey tank top. Her hair was pulled back the same as he had seen it yesterday.

Sora, having relaxed by this point, shook her head. Rin took this as an indication that she did not in fact attend the high school.

"Then why are you here?" he asked, then quickly backtracked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything." He tried to amend himself.

Sora smiled and extended one of her hands to Rin, offering him something. Slightly confused, Rin took the offering, which came in the form of a small box. Opening it, his expression morphed from one of confusion to one of shock.

"You made me lunch?" he exclaimed, looking between the open lunch and the girl in front of him. Sora nodded and smiled again, pulling out her own lunch and gesturing at the ground to sit.

Rin plopped down on the ground where he had been standing and happily began to eat the food, Sora following suit.

After taking the first bite, Rin's eyes widened and he began to devour the food, stopping only to give compliments such as "Fantastic" or "This is great". Granted, Rin could cook, quite well if he did say so himself, but there was something about the fact that someone else had made it for him that made everything taste so much better.

When he had finished, he looked over to find that Sora was only about halfway done with her lunch and had stopped to laugh at him silently. Rin blushed in embarrassment.

"Thank you for the food." He grinned "It was really good."

Sora smiled and reached over to grab a stick that was nearby, and proceeded to scratch the words 'thank you' in the dirt between them. This reminded Rin of what he had wanted to ask her.

"Oh yeah. Sora?" Rin said and Sora looked up at him curiously. Once again Rin was struck by how bright and amazing her eyes were. He shook away those thoughts for now and continued. "Can you speak?" he asked bluntly.

Smiling sadly, Sora nodded in means of answering. This only made Rin more curious and proceeded. "Why don't you?" he asked.

Sora stood up abruptly and Rin followed. Taking the stick that she had been holding she scratched something in the dirt before grabbing her stuff and walking away, Rin watching her the whole time.

It wasn't until she was out of sight that Rin thought to look down and see what she had written. Scrawled into the dirt in Sora's cursive was the answer:

'Power is deadly'

_What does that mean?_ He wondered as he looked after where she had disappeared.

**xxxxx**

When Rin walked into class for his exorcist training he noticed that he wasn't the last one, for once. Shiemi and Sora still had yet to show up. Right on cue, the two girls came walking through the door together. Shiemi was smiling like her usual happy self and Sora was grinning at her. The two girls made their way over to the desks and sat down together at the desk behind Rin, as opposed to Shiemi sitting with Rin like usual.

_Well that's different._

As one of her only friends, Shiemi usually sat with Rin. _Guess she's making new friends. _He thought smiling.

At that point, Yukio walked in. "Class, today we will be discussing types of psycho-attacks." He began. "This is a technique that allows you to attack the mentality of an opponent, rendering them unable to perform even the most basic of tasks. It can also be used to communicate with your fellow exorcists without unwanted others overhearing."

The class shifted in excitement. It had been a while since they had learned a new fighting technique.

But Yukio wasn't finished. "This is not a technique I practice regularly, so I will require some assistance. Sora, I was informed that you were an expert in this field upon your entrance to this school. Would you be willing to help me teach?" he requested.

All eyes shifted to Sora as she nodded and stood up to move to the front of the class. She gave Yukio an inquiring look and Yukio look momentarily startled before regaining his composure quickly.

"Let's start with communication, as it seems to be the easiest thing."

Again, Sora nodded before turning to the class. She looked each one of them in the eyes before stopping on Rin.

"_**Hello Rin"**_ a soft feminine voice sounded in his head causing him to jump and look around wildly. A laugh seemed to echo around the room and he noticed that the others had grown wide eyed, staring at Sora.

"Are you doing that?" Izumo said, sounding somewhat impressed.

"_**I am"**_ was the reply while Sora nodded, and this time it seemed that everyone had heard the voice. It was shortly followed by another laugh. Sora grinned.

"_**Welcome to Telepathy 101"**_


	3. Telepathy 101

_Italics= normal thought _

_**Bold italics= telepathy**_

…**Just for the sake of clarity. Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. **

_I'd like to tell you and I'd like to say_

_How I, I feel right now_

_And I'd like to follow you down the hall_

_And see where it goes from there_

**-You Don't See Me (Saftysuit)**

**xxxxx**

As soon as Yukio had mentioned that telepathy was a skill that he had difficulty with, Rin had made up his mind that he would excel. Of course it helped that Sora would be doing most of the teaching, using Yukio as an example when needed. It would be easier to pay attention when the teacher was the beautiful bluenette instead of his brother.

"_**In my experience, telepathic communication and psycho-attacks are one of the hardest techniques for an exorcist to master. Especially a human exorcist." **_Sora continued, speaking to everyone. _**"You either have the aptitude for it or you do not."**_

"Like summoning?" Izumo asked.

"_**Yes, but a different skill set is required for summoning than this." **_Sora answered. **"**_**My goal, and the one Yukio discussed with me, is to discover which of you have any ability or potential to succeed and to prepare you in the event that someone attacks you with it."**_

"So how does it work?" asked Suguro, always the blunt one.

"_**The concept it quite simple. In order to communicate, you must imagine projecting what you want to say onto the other person. This usually works better if the person you wish to speak to is capable of telepathy themselves, however, the more experienced should have no trouble sending their thoughts to anyone." **_Sora explained.

"_**Targeted telepathy is easier because it only requires focus on one person. So, for now, I would like you all to attempt to say something to only me."**_

Sora leaned back on the desk at the front of the class while everyone, including Yukio, focused on speaking to her.

"Wait." Suguro said after about a minute, causing the others to groan as their concentration was broken. "What did you mean by 'especially human exorcists'?"

Sora smiled, the expression very close to turning into a smirk. "_**As a rule those who already have supernatural powers are typically better at this type of skill."**_

"Meaning what?" he prodded.

"_**Simply? Demons." **_She answered, staring pointedly at Rin.

Rin's ears perked up at this and he looked at Sora surprised while Suguro groaned. "Great, my rival has the advantage. Guess I'll just have to work twice as hard." He said and went back to focusing, as did the rest of the class.

They spent the next half hour in silence, all trying to project their thoughts, all without much luck, when Sora spoke again. "_**I suppose that's enough for one day. Feel free to practice in your dorms if you wish. I will be able to hear you, even at a distance."**_

The class sighed in relief. And Yuki dismissed the class. However, before anyone could leave, Sora stood up from her perch on the desk and went over to Shima and slapped him on the back of his head. All eyes turned to her.

"What did I do?" Shima exclaimed.

"_**Congratulations on being the first to succeed. However, I do not appreciate such thoughts. Please contain yourself in the future."**_

Shocked, all eyes turned to Shima who stood there gaping like a fish. "What did you do man?" Suguro questioned.

"I don't know." He replied "Wait. Are you telling me you heard that?" he asked turning to Sora who nodded in reply. Shima's expression turned to one of joy before quick turning to one or embarrassment. "Oh, sorry Sora." He said blushing. "Won't happen again."

Sora rolled her eyes and walked away. Rin watched her leave the class room before turning to Shima. "What did you say to piss her off like that?"

Shima scratched the back of head in embarrassment. "I was thinking how pretty she is and how much I wanted to-"

"Nevermind." Rin quickly interrupted. "I don't think I want to know." He turned, grabbing his stuff and ran to catch Sora in the hall as the others congratulated Shima on his success. __

"Sora!" Rin called as he spotted her just a ways ahead of him in the hallway. Sora stopped and turned, waiting for him to catch up. Once he did he passed to catch his breath and the two resumed walking.

"That was amazing today. Have long have you been able to do that?" Rin asked.

"_**My parents were exorcists. They began teaching me self-defense tricks at a very young age, that being one of the first."**_

Rin nodded. "Then why are you only an ExWire? If your parents were exorcists, shouldn't you be more advanced?"

Sora's expression grew sad. _**"My parents were killed by demons when I was eight and I was forced to live with my aunt. She loved me like her own daughter, but she had never known about my parents' true profession. Because of that, I was only recently able to begin training." **_

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rin said seriously.

"_**It's alright. I managed to have a good, happy childhood, for the most part. My aunt raised me well." **_ Sora grinned. "_**And I believe my parents are happy in heaven, proud of who I've become."**_

Rin couldn't help but be surprised. _Even through the worst of hardships, she has managed to stay happy. _His face softened into a small smile. "I'm sure they are too."

They walked in silence for a few more moments before a thought dawned on him. "Just a second," He paused. "If you could communicate this whole time, why didn't you tell us yesterday?" he asked.

For the third time that day a laugh echoed in his head. "_**Because, Rin. Don't you know? You never put all of your cards on the table at once."**_

"Does that mean there are still things you're hiding?" Rin accused, eyes narrowing.

"_**Guess you'll just have to wait and find out."**_ Sora said, looking at him with mirth dancing in her eyes.

By this time the pair had left the academic buildings and were nearing Rin's dorm. Rin turned to her in confusion. But before he had the chance to ask, Sora spoke, answering his unasked question.

"_**I requested to stay in one of the emptier dorms. This is where I ended up. I'm on the floor above yours."**_

"I didn't think they had coed dorms here." Rin mused.

"_**They don't. But since you and your brother are the only ones here and I have a connection with Pheles through my parents, they made an exception."**_

"Cool." Rin laughed. "Hey, I was planning to watch movies in the common room tomorrow, if you'd like to join me. It gets boring by myself." He piped, trailing off toward the end.

"_**I'd like that."**_ Sora responded.

"R-really?" Rin asked incredulously. Sora nodded, smiling. The two bounded up the stairs together, heading to their separate rooms.

"See you tomorrow Sora!" Rin called as he left her on the stairs.

**xxxxx**

That night Rin lay in bed wide awake for the second night in a row. He was too excited to sleep. She had agreed to have a movie marathon with him! _It could almost be considered a date._

He shook his head, dispelling those thoughts quickly. _You don't even know how she feels about you. Don't get ahead of yourself._

Rin rolled over, suddenly frustrated. He would just have to find out tomorrow. No use dwelling over it now. Now, he should sleep, so that he wasn't late again in the morning. With that thought, he closed his eyes repeating her name over and over in his head as if it was a mantra meant to lull him to sleep.

Sora. _Sora. __**"Sora."**_

**xxxxx**

**Third chapter done! **

**I welcome any form of advice, criticism, or review (unless you totally trash my story). **

**I hope you continue to read and enjoy! ^_^ **


	4. Belial

_Italics= normal thought_

**Bold= Belial**

_**Bold italics= Telepathy**_

Sorry if this is getting confusing. It will get better soon, promise.

**xxxxx**

As soon as Rin walked into the room for cram school, all eyes landed on him. He was suddenly thankful for the fact that all of the new exorcists-in-training had been put in a separate class so that he and the other ExWires could continue training at their own pace without being held back by the new pages. Rin froze and gave the class a confused look.

"How did you do it?" Suguro spoke up. "I mean, I can understand Shima being able to, but you?"

Now Rin was even more baffled. "What did I do?"

"_**After we parted yesterday, you called my name." **_ Sora answered.

"What do you mean?" Rin questioned, still not understanding.

"Using telepathy, idiot." Suguro said bluntly.

Rin deadpanned. "_**I did?"**_ he thought. But before he could voice the thought, he was answered.

"_**Yes." **_Came Sora's voice.

"Wait, did you hear that?" Rin momentarily freaked out before quickly calming down.

"_**It seems that you have an aptitude for telepathy, Rin."**_ Sora smiled "_**As do both Shima and Konekomaru. Now, I would like you to try speaking with each other instead of me."**_

Sora stepped back and Rin focused on Shima and Konekomaru. It wasn't long before he heard Konekomaru's voice in his head. "_**Rin." **_ Rin's eyes widened.

"Did I do it?" he asked. Rin nodded and Konekomaru's face broke into a bright smile. The trio proceeded to practice on each other, Konekomaru successfully talking to both Rin and Shima. Shima was able to get a few strained words through. However, Rin had no luck.

Sora spoke to the others in the class about other methods of psycho-defense and what to do should another exorcist contact them through telepathy. Sora stopped them after about ten minutes to check on their progress, congratulating Konekomaru.

"_**Rin, you and Shima need more practice, but I believe all three of you could excel at this." **_ Sora said.

The rest of the class, Sora continued to teach about forms of defense, should a demon or another exorcist attack. When she had finished, Yukio, who sat in on Sora's lessons, informed them that the next day they would be facing lesser demons in a controlled environment to learn how they attack. Then he dismissed them.

Gathering his things quickly, Rin walked over to Sora. "Can I walk you back?" he asked, blushing. Sora nodded, smiling. The two walked out the door, all eyes following them curiously.

**xxxxx**

The pair had just entered the courtyard outside of their dorm, deep in discussion about what movie to watch, when their discussion was cut off by and deep laugh that reverberated through the air around them. Rin and Sora froze, immediately at attention and prepared themselves for a fight.

"**I have finally found you, my doll."**__The evil, bodiless voice toned. The sound of it sent shivers up Rin's spine.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Rin shouted at the sky, as he removed Kurikara from his shoulder, preparing to draw the sword if necessary.

"**Foolish child."**__The voice growled. Rin glanced over at Sora to see that she had drawn her own weapon and was holding an end in each hand. However, before he could figure out what her weapon of choice was, a figure materialized in front of them, making Rin stiffen.

Standing at an intimidating six foot seven, the figure before him wore a Shihakushō and had shoulder-length black hair and eyes that were black as coal. In short, the man was nightmares embodied and it rooted Rin to the spot.

"**I am Belial. One of the Kings of Hell and Prince of Darkness."**__The figure intoned.

Rin turned at a choking sound beside him only to find that Sora had lost the determination that her eyes had held a moment ago to be replaced with pure terror. "Sora?" he called.

"_**This-,"**_ she swallowed, _**"this is the demon that slaughtered my parents."**_ She replied, without taking her eyes off Belial. _**"He's a monster."**_

Another laugh echoed around them. "**Now, my doll, is that any way to talk to your family?"**__ He asked, smirking and stepping forward, causing Sora to retreat a few steps. Rin's grip on Kurikara tightened, but he held his ground.

Rin threw a questioning look at Sora. _**"This **_**beast **_**is also my grandfather."**_ She spat, her eyes darkening in hatred.

_Wait, no, her eyes were actually getting darker._

Rin stared, wide-eyed at her confession, as Sora's eyes darkened from their usual bright silver to a purple so deep it almost appeared black. Her grip tightened on what he now identified as whips in her hands and an ominous, dark aura surrounded her as she growled, "But you are no family of mine."

Sora suddenly sprang forward, cracking her whips in an 'X' into…thin air. Belial had disappeared.

"**Behind you, doll."** Rin whipped around only to have a fist impact his nose, sending him flying backwards. Recovering as quickly as he could he drew Kurikara, instantly becoming engulfed in his blue flames.

Rin looked up ready to fight back, but his attention was drawn to Sora. The dark aura had deepened and appeared nearly tangible, surrounding her like his flames did him. Her nails had become sharp and deadly, while a long white tail flicked back and forth angrily. What looked like white wolves ears had sprung up on her head and he didn't need to see her face to know that it was shaped into a feral snarl.

"_**Coward!"**_ She yelled and Belial. _**"Do you have to rely on tricks to face me?"**_ But Belial's attention was not on her in that moment, but on Rin.

"**You have the son of Satan on your side then."** It was not a question. "**Very well. Then this conversation shall have to wait until another day. I do not wish to deal with him at this moment."**

He turned his attention back to Sora. **"Farewell for now, doll. I will return for you."** And with that, he disappeared again.

Rin sheathed Kurikara and ran over to Sora. "Sora!" he called and she turned towards him. Rin had just enough time to see a tear roll down her cheek from what were still purple eyes, before she collapsed, unconscious.

Rin, who was fortunately close enough, caught her before she hit the ground. Scooping her up bridal style, he carried her to the common room that sat right next to the kitchen.

_What are you? _He thought, looking sown at the face of the blue-haired girl in his arms.

After setting her down gently, he went into the kitchen to make her some soup for when she woke up.

It didn't take long. He poured a bowl, grabbed a spoon and went back to the common room to check on Sora. When he saw her, he was happy to see bright silver orbs blinking over at him. It wasn't until he got closer, that he saw she was blinking back tears. Moving to her side quickly, he offered her the bowl, which she graciously accepted.

She finished rapidly, whether from hunger or emotions, he wasn't sure, but he was glad to see her eat. He moved to take the bowl back to the kitchen when a soft voice sounded behind him.

"Thank you, Rin."

Rin turned back to Sora surprised. _Did she just speak?_ Her true voice was softer than the one he heard in his head when she used telepathy, though not quite a soft as Shiemi's. Abandoning his trip to the kitchen, he returned to her side. But before he had the chance to say anything, Sora burst into tears and wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her face into his chest.

Shocked, Rin froze, but soon returned the gesture, holding her as every emotion from their recent experience poured out.

**xxxxx**

**AN: A Shihakushō is a like a shinigami uniform. **

**She speaks! Sorry, I know this is a bad place to stop, but I wasn't quite sure how to lead into the next chapter.**

**I did a bit of research before writing this chapter and did the best I could do with Belial. If you have any suggestions for him, feel free to message me and let me know.**


	5. Truth Revealed

_All I can say is I am not afraid,  
Of the world that I have tried to push away,  
I fight everyday,  
But I am to blame,  
I am not innocent,  
But I am not afraid._

**-Hear Me Now (Secondhand Serenade)**

Rin stroked Sora's hair gently in an uncharacteristically soft gesture as she sobbed into his shirt, her hands clutching at the back. After a while Sora pulled away slightly keeping her eyes down.

"I'm sorry," she spoke again, "I owe you an explanation. I'll tell you whatever you want to know." She finished, whispering.

Rin looked at her, trying to think what he wanted to ask first, especially after that evening's events. _I have so many questions and now I finally have the opportunity for answers. _He decided to start with the first question he had wanted to ask her since she had first come to class.

"Why have you never spoken out loud before now?"

Sora looked up at him, surprised that that is the first thing he wanted to know. In doing so, she quickly realized the position they were still in, with Rin's arms around her, her clutching his shirt, and rapidly moved back, leaning on the armrest of the couch. At her retreat, Rin moved to rest on the opposite side of the couch.

Sora smiled sadly. "Power is deadly," was her short response.

Rin's eyes widened. "You wrote that in the dirt that day you made me lunch. What does it mean?"

"That is a very long answer." She warned. But when Rin only shrugged, she took it as an invitation to continue explaining. "Perhaps, I should start by explaining my heritage."

Sora took a deep breath, tears threatening to fall again, and began, "As I told you earlier, by blood, Belial, the demon we face earlier, is my grandfather."

"Does that make you a demon too, then?" Rin interrupted. Sora nodded.

"Only one fourth, by blood, but yes. Enough to have powers at least. Years ago, he came to this world in the guise of a human and impregnated a young woman, who gave birth to my mother. Belial abandoned that woman and she ended up leaving my mother at an orphanage, never to be heard from again.

Not knowing what she was, what blood coursed through her veins, my mother grew up and fell in love. It wasn't until after she had married, however, that her powers were revealed. You see, my father was an exorcist. He somehow noticed the dormant power within her that was slowly starting to leak out as she grew older. Instead of leaving her, he did everything in his power to teach her and help her control hers." Sora paused.

Rin stared at her, awestruck. _An exorcist who loved a demon? _ "They really loved each other, didn't they?" A tear slipped down Sora's cheek as she nodded.

"What they weren't counting on was me. My mother soon became pregnant, but even having discovered what she was, chose to have me. They knew the risks of me being born with the same powers, but still wanted me." Sora paused again.

"I've known what I am from the day I was born. And from the time I was old enough to talk, I was taught to control my powers. What they weren't expecting, was for me to have powers that my mother did not, namely, my voice."

At this, Sora stopped, more tears falling as she seemed lost in a distant memory. But, when Rin moved to try to comfort her, she held up her hand, signaling him to stay where he was. "I'm alright."

Recovering, she continued. "When I was little, I learned that my voice has the ability to make others do things. Things against their will. I have only ever used it once, and that was an accident. But after that, I swore I would never allow it to happen again. That was when my father began teaching me telepathy. That is why I do not speak aloud around humans."

"What happened?" Rin breathed, curiosity getting the better of him.

"It happened right after I had started kindergarten. I was five years old…"

_****Flashback** **_

_Alright class," said the peppy kindergarten teacher, "Why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves? Daisuke, you can start." She motioned to a small blond boy at the front of the room. One by one, the class said their names, finally getting around to Sora._

"_My name is Sora Mizuno. Nice to meet all of you!" she grinned at her classmates before sitting back down._

_When recess came along, Sora ran to the swings. Those had always been her favorite place on the playground when her parents took her. It wasn't long before the boy who had introduced himself as Daisuke came over and stood in front of her, preventing her swinging. _

_Sora smiled kindly at her classmate, "Would you like to join me?" she asked sweetly. _

"_Why is your hair blue?" Daisuke asked rudely. "That's not a normal color."_

_Sora looked at him surprised. "I don't know. It's always been like that." She answered honestly._

"_It's weird," was all Daisuke said, before walking off to play with the other children, leaving Sora alone._

_A few days later, Sora had become the class joke. Everyone teased her because of her hair, despite the teacher's protests and constant attempts to have everyone 'get along'. And Sora, trying to do what her parents had asked and ignore it, still felt the jokes getting to her._

_It wasn't until two weeks later that she finally snapped. _

_Sora had been sitting on the swing like usual, when Daisuke approached her, a few kids she hadn't seen before trailing behind, curious looks in their eyes. For the briefest moment, Sora was hopeful. Nobody ever came over to the swings when she was there. But a moment later that hope was crushed. _

"_See, I told you her hair was blue." He boasted as if she were something on display._

"_What about her eyes?" asked one of the other kids. _

"_Huh? Oh yeah, I guess those are pretty weird too. You're just a freak aren't you?" he laughed, his friends soon joining in._

_Sora looked down at the ground, holding back tears. "Stop," she whispered._

_Daisuke paused in his laughing. "What was that, freak?" he asked, still trying to hold back laughter._

_Sora's head shot up and she glared at the boy with fury in her dark purple eyes. "Stop!" she yelled, "Go away and never come back!" she screamed with more ferocity than she thought she had._

_Daisuke stood frozen in place, looking as if he had just been slapped by the teacher, eyes wide. After staring at her for a moment, he turned on his heel and walked away without saying a word, as if under a spell. The other children followed, confused, after their leader._

_**End Flashback**_

"What happened to the boy?" asked Rin, when Sora had stopped with her story.

"He did exactly what I told him to. He ran away. His parents reported him missing the day after the incident. Rumors started flying around about me and how it could have been my fault. It wasn't long before I confessed to my parents and we soon packed up and left."

"So why use telepathy? Wouldn't any form of communication scare you?" Rin questioned.

"It did at first, but in order to fully train me in the use of my powers, they had to know their extent. They allowed me to practice and experiment with simple commands on them. My parents nicknamed it my 'spellvoice'. That was when I learned that in order to control someone, I had to want it with every fiber of my being. Also, I learned that this specific 'talent' does not work on other demons, as my mother was immune. She even summoned lower level demons to practice on, to make sure her immunity was not because of our relation."

"Is that why you chose to speak to me?" Rin asked and Sora nodded.

"Is there anything else you want to know?" Sora asked.

"Just one thing." Rin said, "What does Belial want from you?"

Sora laughed humorlessly. "That's easy. He wants me to do what my mother refused to do." She paused. "He wants me to go with him."

Rin's initial reaction was shock which quickly melted into anger. "I won't let him take you." He growled. She had just gotten here, and he wasn't about to let some monster take her away before he had the chance to get to know her.

"You are not afraid?" Sora asked, looking at Rin with an unnamable expression on her face.

"Afraid? Of a jerk like that? Not likely." He scoffed. "I will fight with you, if you'll let me." All Sora could do was smile.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts, before Sora decided to break the tension.

"Hey, Rin?" she called innocently. Rin looked towards her. "Can we watch that movie now?"

Rin grinned, glad to have a distraction from the things that were buzzing in his head after their conversation. "I'll get the ice cream."

**xxxxx**

**AN: I realize that this story has been moving a bit too fast as far as relationships go. It will be slowing down after this chapter.**


	6. Feelings

**AN: Alright, time for a time skip! (not much though)**

**Once again…I do not own anything other than my OC**

**And by the way, the band quoted is **_**not**_** the British one…**

_Catch me, catch me_

_I think I'm falling for you_

_**-Catch Me (One Direction)**_

**xxxxx**

It had been nearly three months since Rin and Sora's encounter with Sora's grandfather, Belial, and summer break was growing nearer, only two weeks away. Since that evening, Rin had made sure to walk Sora back to the dorm every afternoon after cram school so that she wouldn't be alone if he showed up again. Sora would even stay behind on the days that Rin was forced to stay to practice his controlling demon powers, sometimes giving advice if he was struggling.

It became quite clear soon after her first week at True Cross that Izumo, while she had a grudging respect for her, did not like Sora. She would brag about her accomplishments in her training, as she usually did, but would do so more when Sora was near. Izumo would also spout nasty comments about Sora's mysterious behavior and appearance when she thought Sora couldn't hear, sometimes even when she knew Sora could. Sora did her best to ignore her, as she had the kids in the years before.

Sora kept a safe distance from Suguro. If anyone in the class was going to find out about her and what she could do, it was him. And of course, Shima still thought she was hot. He even still sometimes had difficulty not staring. Sora ignored his advances as well. It was the one thing that she and Izumo had in common.

In fact, the only people at the entire school that Sora had made friends with was Shiemi, who was always friendly, surprisingly enough, Konekomaru (he suspected that it was because of Konekomaru's aptitude for telepathy that they had bonded), and Rin himself.

Shiemi seemed overjoyed to have a girl-friend that she could talk to about things that she could never discuss with Rin, a boy. Sora seemed to spend most of her free time at the shop that Shiemi worked at, due to the fact that neither of them attended actual high school. The two were often found walking to class together, Shiemi laughing at something that no one else could hear.

Sora continued to teach her telepathy lessons, though less frequently than the first week. She continued teaching defense skills to the entire class and would teach an extra class on attacks and communication once a week after class hours for the three of them who were able.

Rin and Sora had made their movie nights a weekly occurrence, the two curling up on opposite ends of the couch with a bowl of ice cream, watching their 'choice of the week'. That was also the only time that Sora spoke aloud. She refused to use her real voice around the others, even Yukio, afraid of her own abilities. She could not be persuaded otherwise.

That night, they had decided to watch _The Davinci Code, _the whole underlying theme about angels and demons oddly ironic to them. Sora sat on 'her end' of the couch while Rin went to fetch their movie treats, returning from the kitchen with a piece from chocolate pie that he had made earlier, with a scoop of ice cream on top. Sora looked down at her plate a bit surprised. Rin hardly ever baked, claiming he 'had little experience with it'.

Rin, noticing her look, gave Sora a sheepish grin. "I noticed that Izumo was a bit harsher than usual. I thought you could use something to cheer you up."

Sora looked at him with wide eyes before smiling gratefully. "Thank you. This is great." She said, taking a bite. Rin grinned and sat down to start the movie, stretching his legs out on the table in front of him.

The movie had been playing for about half an hour when Rin turned his attention to Sora. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was captured by the movie, so he turned his head to look at her better. The pair had grown closer since their incident with Belial. Rin, being a social outcast because of his powers, and Sora, who did not befriend anyone easily because of her own abilities, had become unlikely friends. Best friends even.

Recently, though, it seemed like his feelings had grown stronger. Sure, there had been an initial attraction when he had seen her that first week_, hell, everyone probably had one_, but since then he had realized just how much this girl and he had in common. And there were nights, like this one, when he wanted to reach over and pull his beautiful friend into his arms and hold her while they watched their movie. Sometimes it took all of his restraint not to.

Rin's eyes widened as he considered the girl next to him. _Am I falling?_

At this point, Sora turned from the movie to give Rin a questioning look. "Is everything alright?" she asked softly. Rin jumped, broken out of his thoughts, and laughed nervously.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something. Don't worry about it." He said, trying to discourage any other questions about why he was staring at her. Sora seemed to accept his excuse and turned her attention back to the television, Rin doing the same.

They watched the rest of the movie in silence, Rin trying to distract himself from the thoughts buzzing in his head. When it ended, Sora stood up to take their dishes to the kitchen while Rin took care of the movie. When she returned, she found Rin looking at the ground, shuffling his feet nervously.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Sora asked again.

Rin nodded. "I was just wondering if you had any plans for summer break."

Sora was caught a bit off guard by his question, taking a moment before answering. "Not anything special. I had intended on staying here for the break. My aunt is out of the country for the summer, so I do not wish to go home." She said. "Besides, the protection here is better for me anyway." she added as an afterthought, Rin immediately knowing what she was referring to.

Rin shuffled his feet again before voicing what was on his mind. "Would you, maybe, like to come back with me and Yukio?" he asked blushing.

When Sora didn't respond right away, he got even more nervous than he had been before and started to back track. "I-I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. You don't even have to come for the whole summer, just however long you want and-" Rin was cut off by Sora hugging him tightly.

"I would love to." She laughed, and Rin briefly thought about how what a nice sound it was.

_I've never heard her laugh out loud before._

"I've never known someone as nice as you." She added.

_That can't be true_. But then he remembered that she had been mocked and ostracized as a child, her family never staying in one place for long. It must have been so awful. So, he guessed, he really was the best friend she had ever had.

His musings were once again cut off as Sora stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whisper a soft "thank you" in his ear. And it was with that action that his carefully built control broke, and he gave into impulse.

Sora moved to walk away and go to bed, but before she could get far, Rin reached out and grabbed her wrist, spinning her back towards him, crushing his lips to hers. When he finally pulled back, his brain seemed to catch up to his actions and he stepped back quickly, nearly causing a very shocked Sora to fall to the floor.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly and Sora's eyes focused on his face. After a few moments a small smile quirked in the corners of her lips, soon turning into the happiest grin he had ever seen her wear.

"Don't be," was all she said before she stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to Rin's lips, which he eagerly returned. When they parted, the pair were both smiling, no words needed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Rin." Sora said, when it seemed clear that neither of them could think of anything else to say. "Goodnight." She added, giving him one more, chaste kiss, leaving him to stare after her.

"Goodnight Sora." He whispered, even though she could not hear him. "Until tomorrow."


	7. Normalcy with a Touch of Excitement

Rin woke the next morning to what sounded like giggling from the direction of the kitchen and the powerful smell of food which had wafted up to his dorm room. Mind foggy from sleep Rin moved to check the time, only slightly surprised to see that it was just after eleven in the morning. _As good of a time to get up as any, I guess. _Dragging himself out of bed he noticed that his brother's bed was empty, as it usually was when Rin got up.

_Stupid Yukio. Is he even capable of sleeping in? _He wondered to himself. It seemed that Yukio was never around when Rin went to bed or woke up, appearing and disappearing at the most random times.

Not bothering to change out of his pajamas, which consisted of a navy t-shirt and grey shorts, Rin made his way downstairs. He stopped short just outside the doorway, out of sight of those inside, when he heard another chorus of giggles, and was clearly able to identify two voices.

_No way! Is Sora talking to someone else?_

His question was answered when he heard her ask while laughing, "Was Rin really afraid of the dark when you two were little?"

"I find that funny considering what he is now." He heard another, softer voice say. _Shiemi?_

"Demon or not, he was terrified. He used to ask our father to say a prayer over us to keep us safe." The calm voice of Yukio answered the two girls, who had dissolved into another fit of giggles.

_Me being afraid of the dark really isn't that funny. What else has he been telling them?! _ He thought, suddenly panicked. With that thought, he rounded the corner he was hiding behind to be met with three pairs of eyes. Noting that everyone else still in their pajamas, he walked to stand beside the table they were seated at.

"There you are Rin. I was wondering when you were going to come in." Yukio stated, taking a sip of what Rin assumed was coffee from the cup he was holding.

"Yukio was just telling us stories from when you were children while we waited for you." Shiemi said sweetly. "Sora invited me over for breakfast. But we didn't want to start without you."

At that Rin took notice of the immense amount of food that was splayed over one of the tables. It was a beautiful sight, and his mouth began to water just looking at it. Every breakfast food imaginable, it seemed, was there. Pancakes, french toast, eggs (scrambled and sunny-side up), bacon, and an assortment of fruit sat before him.

"Where did all this come from?" he asked incredulous. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long." He quickly added.

Sora blushed. "Not long. Shiemi only got here about half an hour ago." She said. "I thought it would be a nice treat after working so hard in cram school. Plus, I wanted to thank you for the pie you made last night, as well as, um the other things." Sora kind of drifted off at the end of her sentence.

Rin blushed, catching on to what she was referencing. _So that hadn't been a dream._ "It was nothing." At Sora's slightly saddened face he backtracked, "I mean the pie was nothing. I love to cook, it's one of the few things I'm actually good at. The 'other things' were defiantly something." he said laughing nervously. Yukio and Shiemi looked between the pair, confused, before shrugging and starting to stack food on their plates.

Rin, still blushing furiously, and still curious about why Sora was talking to Yukoi and Shiemi, decided to put those things to the back of his mind and dig in.

**xxxxx**

When everyone was sated, Shiemi spoke up. "So, Sora, what was this plan you wanted to tell me about?"

Sora went wide-eyed, as if having forgotten something, before focusing on Shiemi and smiling broadly. "Oh! I was thinking that the four of us could spend the day together and do something fun since we have the day off from exorcist training. What do you think?"

Shiemi's face instantly brightened even more form its usual smile. "That sounds wonderful!" she said excitedly, Rin agreeing with her. "What did you have in mind?"

Sora's face adopted a sheepish expression. "I hadn't thought that far ahead. Is there something in particular you would like to do?" she said opening up to suggestions.

Shiemi and Rin thought hard for a moment before Shiemi got an idea. "I know! How about we go back to that amusement park? Rin promised that we could go back when we weren't working." This statement earned Rin a raised eyebrow and Rin gulped. He'd have to explain that one later. Fortunately, Sora's curiosity won out.

"What amusement park?"

"Mephyland, owned by Mephisto, of course." Yukio decided to speak up. "We went to investigate a ghost sighting there and ended up fighting Amaimon, a high class demon, King of Earth. Well, Rin did, and got his butt kicked in the process." Rin fired a glare at his brother, but was ignored as Yukio continued, "I had heard that they recently reopened it."

Shiemi, who seemed overjoyed, clapped and jumped up, "let's go." She shouted enthusiastically. Her mood seemed contagious and soon Rin and Sora were just as excited for a day at the amusement park. Their moment was briefly ruined by Yukio though.

"I will not be able to join you, I have too much to do today." He said, walking off. He didn't get far before Rin grabbed him and put him into a headlock.

"Oh no you don't," his brother growled, "You need a break, so you're coming with us whether you like it or not." Sora and Shiemi vehemently agreed and Yukio sighed in defeat.

**xxxxx**

The group had quickly gone to change before leaving for the park, which was now brimming with people. Sora wore a pink tank top that went well with her hair, which was up in a loose ponytail, denim shorts, and black converse. Rin sported a simple black t-shirt and khaki shorts, while Yukio wore his typical uniform, minus the jacket. Shiemi, instead of returning to her home, had borrowed some of Sora's cloths. She now wore a bright green v-neck, denim shorts, and black sandals.

As soon as they had entered the park, Shiemi had grabbed Yukio's hand and took off, dragging him behind yelling protests, but blushing all the same. "I guess that leaves you and me." Rin said, causing Sora's face to turn a bright pink that matched her shirt, while she looked at the ground.

"How about we ride the roller coaster first?" Sora looked up, face bright, but not because she was blushing.

"Alright." She said eagerly, nodding. The two walked in silence for a few moments when Rin felt their hands bump. Seeing his chance, he tentatively took her hand in his. Sora gasped softly, but did not pull away. Rin smiled to himself.

"Hey Sora?" Rin said with a question in his voice. Sora looked up at him attentively. "Why is it that you decided to talk to Yukio and Shiemi?" Sora's eyes widened and she smiled softly.

"Before I came here, I was terrified of what I could do, even by accident." She said. Rin nodded. He knew that. "After I met you and got to know you, I saw how hard you worked to control your powers and how you never let them harm those whom you care about." It was Rin's turn to be surprised. "I decided I wanted to be like you, unafraid of my own abilities. I want to try harder to control my power. If that means talking, so be it."

_I inspired someone?_ That was certainly a new feeling and it made him feel warm inside. Rin squeezed her hand in encouragement. "That's good." He smiled down at her. "And if you ever need any help, you can come to me." Sora smiled up at Rin gratefully.

The pair reached the roller coaster. "Ready to have some fun?" Rin asked Sora mischievously. Sora nodded.

"Let's go."

**xxxxx**

It was getting late and Sora and Rin had done almost everything there was to do in the park. As they ran around, they passed Shiemi and Yukio, who looked like he was having fun despite himself. They only stopped briefly to say hello before one of the pairs ran off again, having spotted something new to do. Rin smiled the whole time, thoroughly enjoying himself, and it seemed, never letting go of Sora's hand.

The only thing left to ride was the ferris wheel, and the two walked toward quickly. The sun had already stared to set and Rin couldn't help but think of how romantic everything was as he climbed into the seat with Sora, who hadn't lost the brightness in her eyes all day.

They had only gone around a couple time when the wheel stopped…with them at the top. Once again Rin was struck with how romantic this was and looked down at the hand that was still joined with Sora's.

_Now or never. _

"Sora?" he called. When she turned, he met her lips with a soft kiss, which was easily returned.

"Rin." She whispered his name when they parted. And when he opened his eyes he was met with her stunning silver orbs looking back at him. They left him breathless for a moment before he gathered the courage to speak what was on his mind.

"Sora…" he trailed off, then quickly blurted, "Will you be my girlfriend?" Rin clapped his hands over his mouth. Sora giggled and pulled his hands down to hold them in her own.

She leaned in and kissed him again. "Yes," was the barest whisper of an answer, but Rin heard it all the same.

The couple exited the ferris wheel soon after and went to meet Shiemi and Yukio at the gate. They were already waiting. It was when they weren't far off that both of them noticed that Yukio ad Shiemi were still holding hands, despite the fact that Shiemi was no longer pulling Yukio around, and gave each other a knowing look.

Rin smiled again. It had been a perfect day, for everyone.

**xxxxx**

**I had to have a little fun with the cute stuff before I get serious again. I hope you liked it! ^_^**


	8. Busted

**AN: Another short time skip…**

_Oh, on a wire, we were dancing  
Two kids no consequences  
Pull the trigger, without thinking  
There's only one way down this road_

_**-Time Bomb (All Time Low)**_

**xxxxx**

Rin and Sora left class together grinning. The past two weeks had gone by terribly slowly, with high school and their rigorous exorcist training, but it was finally here. Summer break! Sora had informed her aunt that she would be staying with Rin for the duration of the break, and for her not to worry while she was out of the country. Needless to say, Rin was thrilled to be spending the summer with his new girlfriend.

At Sora's request, Rin and she had kept their relationship a secret for the time being. Rin believed that it was because Sora had never been this close to anyone else and she was scared of the reactions they would receive, the outcast and the demon. However, she Sora claimed that it was because she wanted to enjoy the summer in private and then surprise everyone when they came back for fall semester. Rin didn't argue. Either way, he couldn't wait to see the look on Shima's face.

He did suspect that his brother had suspicions after their day at the amusement park, considering that he did not let go of her hand until they parted on the stairs to go to bed. But Rin had managed to brush that off just as easily as Yukio had his holding hands with Shiemi, relieved that Yukio did not press for once. Shiemi seemed oblivious to everything.

Once Rin had finished packing, he walked down to the lobby of the dorm where he found Sora and Yukio already waiting for him. "So, how are we going to get home?" Rin asked curious. He hadn't considered that there was no one that had the time to come to get them and none of them could drive.

"Like this," was all Yukio said before inserting one of his many keys into the front door, which then opened up to one of the hallways in the monastery that he had always called home. Rin blanched.

"You mean I did all that packing when all you had to do was open a portal?" he mumbled, frustrated. Sora giggled and took his hand, which caused him to brighten a bit, the two following Yukio through the door.

It didn't take long before the three of them had settled in, Rin giving Sora the extra bedroom beside his own. Rin had decided to prepare dinner that night, which consisted of his favorite food, sukiyaki, and a small cake for dessert. It also seemed like the other monks at the monastery were glad to have them back, if for Rin's cooking than nothing else, and welcomed Sora with open arms.

After eating, everyone returned to their rooms. As Rin lay in bed, he couldn't think about all the things that had happened since the start of the school year. When his thoughts turned to Sora, he immediately thought about her grandfather. _I have to be prepared. I have to get stronger so I can help her fight when he returns. _

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. Soon after, Sora's face peeked in. "Rin?" came her soft whisper. "Are you awake?"

Rin sat up in bed. "Yeah, come in," he answered, confused. "Are you okay?"

Sora padded in and closed the door behind her. Even in the darkness of his room he could see she was wearing a baggy black t shirt and shorts for pajamas and that she was smiling embarrassedly. "I'm alright. I suppose it's because I'm in an unfamiliar house, but I can't sleep. Could I stay with you?"

Momentarily shocked, Rin floundered for an answer.

"I can leave if you don't want me in here." She said, turning to leave, taking his silence as a 'no'.

"No!" Rin quickly recovered. "No, I mean, you can stay." He said, calmer, trying to force out the perverted thoughts that were attempting to make their way into his head. Succeeding, he scooted over to make room for his girlfriend.

Sora climbed in beside Rin where he had made space and the two leaned back together, Sora pressing a quick kiss to Rin's lips in thanks, before she set her head down on his chest.

It wasn't long before the couple had drifted off to sleep.

**xxxxx**

Rin was woken by the sound of his door being slammed open by a seething Yukio, who proceeded to yell something at the half-asleep Rin, only to freeze mid-sentence in the doorway at the scene before him. Rin attempted to sit up to glare at his brother before registering the weight on his chest. Glancing down, he caught sight of a mess of blue hair. Remembering the events of the previous night, he settled for rolling his head over to glare at his twin, staying in his current position so as not to wake his still sleeping girlfriend.

_How she managed to sleep through Yukio's intrusion is beyond me…_

"What do you want Yukio?" he asked, as if nothing was wrong. For once it seemed like Yukio was speechless, and he stared at his brother wide-eyed and gaping like a fish.

Managing to regain some composure, Yukio straightened up and adjusted his glasses. "I had wanted to know what you had done with my gun, seeing as I can't find it anywhere. But I suppose a better question now would be, why is Sora in your bed?"

Rin's glare returned full force at Yukio's first accusation. "First, I didn't do anything with your gun. Why would I take it? I have Kurikara. And second, she couldn't sleep, so I offered her my comfort." He finished with a smug grin.

"So, I was correct then. You two are, in fact, together?" Yukio said, as more of a statement than a question, ignoring the part about the weapons for the moment. Rin answered anyway.

"Yes, now if you don't mind, I was trying to sleep." Rin all but growled.

"Very well," came the apathetic response from his brother. "But I do hope you both know what you're getting into." He said, before walking out, leaving Rin alone with his thoughts. Choosing to ignore his brother, _we both know exactly what we're getting into, and we still choose each other,_ Rin promptly fell back asleep, his arm wound around Sora's back.

**xxxxx**

**Sorry, this is a bit of a filler chapter. I didn't want to completely skip over summer break though. **


	9. One of Us

_Don't want to let you down  
But I am hell bound  
Though this is all for you  
Don't want to hide the truth_

_**-Demons (Imagine Dragons)**_

**xxxxx**

Needless to say, the class's reaction when Sora and Rin walked in their first day back for fall semester was positively priceless. Not because Rin's tail was out on full display, flicking nervously behind him (the class had gotten used to that by now). It wasn't even the fact that Sora had decided to reveal hers as well.

No. What the entire class had noticed first, and was currently staring at in shock, was their hands, which were clasped tightly together as they entered the classroom.

The new couple had decided that the best way for their friends to discover their relationship was for them to slowly begin acting like a couple in public, letting everyone notice for themselves. In order to do so, they had decided that the first day back, they would hold hands in class when they had the chance. And their friends caught on much faster than expected.

Rin lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head nervously as Suguro decided to speak up, "What the hell?" he practically exploded. "When did you two start dating?" he asked, pointing an accusing finger at the couple.

Rin laughed, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Sora spoke up.

"We got together about two weeks before summer break." She smiled, "We wanted to surprise you when we got back."

The room went silent. Finally, a groan cut through the air between them. "Come on. That is so not fair," came the disheartened voice of Shima, his comment breaking through the tension and causing everyone to laugh at his disappointment.

"Well, I'm happy for the two of you." Shiemi said, as cheerfully as ever. Konekomaru agreed, giving his friends a warm smile, while Izumo just huffed and turned her head away. Yukio then decided that it would be a good time to start.

"If everyone will take their seats, I will begin today's lesson."

**xxxxx**

It wasn't until near the end of the lesson, the shock of Rin and Sora having worn off, that anyone noticed the white tail that flicked behind Sora. Once again, it seemed that Suguro was the first to say anything. However, instead of blurting out his observations, like usual, he began almost hesitantly.

"Hey, Sora," she turned at the sound of her name, "Why do you have a tail?"

This question immediately caught everyone's attention, and all eyes turned to Sora in surprise. Sora raised her eyebrow, as if her having a tail was common knowledge, and stated, "Because I am a demon."

Silence. The whole room blanched, with the exception of Rin, at her blunt answer. Izumo recovered the quickest this time.

"Are you descended from Satan, like Rin and Yukio?" she asked. Sora screwed up her face in a mask of what resembled disgust.

"No. That would mean I'm dating a relative. That's awful." Sora responded immediately. Izumo blushed in embarrassment when she realized her obvious mistake.

"Then who is your demon parent?" she asked, frustrated with both herself and Sora.

"I am descended from the demon king, Belial. However, he is my grandfather, by blood only. My parents were both exorcists, even though my mother was the daughter of a demon." Sora explained briefly, not bothering to go into great detail, like she had with Rin.

"So, that only makes you a quarter demon," came the soft voice of Konekomaru. Sora nodded even though he had phrased it as a statement, not a question.

"Yes. But I am nearly as powerful as Rin, when he uses his powers. My abilities have not been greatly weakened by the human blood that flows through my veins." Sora paused. "Though I do wish for you all to know that I will never use my powers against any of you." She finished, looking down at the ground.

Rin studied the faces around him, trying to assess their reactions. This was the moment of truth for Sora and he knew how hard this was for her. She had never told anyone besides him of her powers before. When his eyes fell on Konekomaru, he paused. Konekomaru had taken to Sora soon after their first telepathy lesson and the two had become friends. He was one of the few people that Sora trusted here at school, besides himself and Shiemi.

_He didn't take it well when he found out about my powers. Please don't reject Sora like you did me. It might break her. _He thought earnestly.

He did not know if Sora could stand to lose one of her better friends. It had taken a lot to earn his trust back after Rin's incident with Amaimon. Which is why is surprised him when Konekomaru was the first to snap out of the collective paralysis that had gripped the class countless times that afternoon.

"I believe you. You are our friend. You would never hurt us." Sora's head snapped up to look at him in an instant, her eyes widening at Konekomaru's bold words. She seemed to freeze for a moment before her face melted into a grateful smile and she ran forward, pulling him into a hug which seemed to surprise everyone, most of all Konekomaru, who didn't quite know how to react. He finally settled for placing his arms around her back.

The moment was interrupted when Shiemi's voice broke through the silence. "I believe in you too, Sora." Sora pulled away from Konekomaru, whose cheeks were now tinted a light pink, and looked at Shiemi smiling.

"Thank you, Shiemi. And you too Konekomaru. This means more than you could ever know." A tear slipped down her face and Rin moved to brush it away.

"Wait a minute," boomed Suguro. Sora turned to him, slightly afraid of what he was about to say. "Is this why you've been avoiding me since you got here?" he accused.

The whole seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at his question and Sora giggled. "Sorry. I figured of all the people here, you would be the most likely to figure out my secret. I did not want anyone finding out by accident."

Looking irked, Suguro sat back down from when he had risen to ask his question, mumbling something that sounded like, "I don't know whether to be insulted or complimented." Sora laughed again and the tension in the room seemed to evaporate at the sound.

"You don't ever have to worry around us, Sora." Spoke Shima, in a moment of seriousness. "We're your friends, and you're one of us now." He said with a grin. Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Sora couldn't help the grin that broke across her face and Rin could have sworn he had never seen her look so happy.

"So, Sora," said Suguro, breaking out of his irritation and now just looking curious, "what kind of powers do you have?" he asked. "I mean, we all know how this idiot fights," he said gesturing to Rin and earning a glare, "but what are your abilities like?"

This question piqued everyone else's curiosity as well. The class seemed to lean in, waiting for her answer. Sora laughed again. "How about we all head to my dorm for a snack and I'll tell you anything you want to know there, so we don't have to stay in this classroom." She suggested, the rest of the group only then noticing that they were still at their desks.

Everyone agreed and they set off for the dorm.

**xxxxx**

Twenty minutes later, the group sat in the common room of the dorm that Sora shared with only Rin and Yukio, sharing stories about her childhood and her powers. She held nothing back, trusting the friends that had accepted her without hesitation.

She was in the process of explaining her use of telepathy when the unthinkable happened. Sora's story was cut short by Shiemi's scream of terror echoing from the kitchen where she had disappeared moments ago to get a drink. Everyone quickly moved to a defensive position, ready to fight.

Slowly, Shiemi walked into view, to everyone's horror, with the sharp blade of a sword held to her neck. A dark figure followed shortly after, a figure that struck terror into the very bones of all those who beheld him.

"Belial." Sora spat.

"**Hello again, my doll."** He laughed darkly. **"I have returned for you."**


	10. Fighting for the People You Love

_There's a fire burning inside me  
Cold steel calls out my name  
Tempted to give in to the rage  
Torn apart by this affliction  
Locked up inside myself  
This life is much too young to fade._

_**-End of Me (Ashes Remain)**_

**xxxxx**

Time seemed to slow down as the group of young exorcists stared at the daunting sight before them, most too terrified to move. Sora in particular had an expression of pure horror, while Rin cast the demon his best death glare for both hurting his friend and even coming near his girlfriend again.

"B-Belial?" stuttered a scared Shima. "As in your grandfather, the badass demon, Belial?" Sora could only nod in response, still paralyzed.

"**Come with me doll, or suffer the same fate as your mother and watch the people you care about die before you."** The demon boomed in his powerful voice which seemed to resonate through their heads as well as the air around them. **"Should you choose to fight, you will die as well."**

His words had the opposite effect on Sora than he had intended though. Threaten her all you want, but the moment you brought up her parents you would have hell to pay.

The air seemed to thicken around them as a dark aura grew around Sora, and her white ears appeared on her head. Her eyes darkened from their beautiful silver to a purple so dark Rin could barely distinguish between her iris and pupil. Her nails became long and sharp as her whips materialized from the darkness surrounding her. Sora's lips pulled back in a feral snarl over pointed canines.

"_**Don't you dare mention my parents!"**_ she screamed, the force of her words in their heads enough to break everyone else from their frozen states. Rin and the others turned their attention to Sora, staring in a mixture of shock, fear and amazement at her transformed state.

Sora addressed her friends, looking at Rin. "_**If you do not wish to fight, I suggest you run now."**_

Nobody moved, but this time it wasn't from fear. Rin smirked and pulled the sword from his back, pulling it from its cloth cover. "We're not going anywhere. We are with you." Came his confidant response. And with that, he drew Kurikara, his blue flames sprouting to life around him.

Behind him, Izumo recited her incantation and her two familiars sprang out of nowhere, prepared for a fight. Shima had picked up his staff, Konekomaru drew papers for spells, and Bon had his hands clasped together ready to fight.

"**You choose to fight then."** Stated Belial. "**How unfortunate."**

Sora looked at him with disdain before snapping one of her whips in a quick motion. The whip caught Shiemi around her waist and Sora yanked her forward, out of Belial's grip and into Rin who managed to catch her and steady her before she fell from the force of Sora's pull. Sora used her other whip to blast a hole in the dorm wall behind them.

"_**If you want me, come and get me."**_ She growled, and jumped into the courtyard below, Rin following shortly behind.

Belial, ignoring the remaining people in the room, disappeared, only to reappear again outside. Suguro looked around, momentarily lost by what had just happened. It had occurred very fast. It didn't take long before he was running down the stairs of the dorm shouting at his friends to "hurry up".

"What was she thinking, blasting a hole in the wall and jumping down two stories?" yelled Izumo who was irritated at the sudden change of plan.

Suguro shot her a glare and said, "There is more space to fight outside. It gives us more of an advantage." That quickly shut her up. The group skidded to a stop in the courtyard, where Rin and Sora faced off against Belial, nobody moving yet.

"_**I will never let you hurt my friends.**_" Spat Sora. A deep rumble soon followed. Belial was laughing.

"**And you think you can stop me?"** he asked, humorously.

"_**I can, and I will."**_ She growled back.

Belial laughed again. "**Silly girl. The only way you could ever stop the carnage to come would be to join me. You have made it clear that is not your choice."**

Sora looked as if she was going to retort, but before anyone could even blink Rin had been thrown into a tree with enough force to snap it in two and Sora was on her knees on the ground, blood pouring from a gash on her arm and dripping from her mouth.

Rin groaned and looked back towards the beginning battle. "Sora!" he yelled when he saw her bleeding.

_When did he draw a sword? Damn he's fast._

Belial stood where he had moments before, looking as if he had never moved, with the exception of the blade that now gleamed in his hand. Suguro, Izumo, Konekomaru and Shima backed up, now slightly more afraid of their opponent.

_We don't stand a chance against this guy…_

A loud bang resonated across the courtyard. Belial was the one to freeze this time as two more shots rang out. Blood spilled from wounds in his shoulders and one on his chest, but he did not fall. Rin looked for the source of the shots and called out in surprise when he found it.

"Yukio!" his brother stood behind the others, gun smoking.

"**Insolent fool!" **shouted Belial.** "Very well, then. You will be the first to die."** It took all of a split second for Belial to appear across the courtyard and behind Yukio. Belial raised his blade in a high arc and brought it down on Yukio's back. Blood spurted from the wound and Yukio fell.

"No!" screamed Rin as he fought to regain his footing, rather unsteady from hitting the tree. That was when he noticed that Sora was still on the ground. He ran to her. As soon as he reached her, he dropped to his knees beside her.

"Sora? Are you okay?" he asked softly. Sora lifted her head to look at him with dead eyes.

"We can't beat him. He's too fast. Too strong." She let out a light sob and a tear slipped down her cheek. "I can't watch all of you die. Not for me." More tears fell.

"What are you talking about Sora? No one is going to die today. We are going to fight, and we are going to win." Rin said with confidence. He rose to his feet and held out his hand. "Now, are you going to lie down and die, or are you going to help me kick some demon ass?"

Sora looked up at him, what looked like hope beginning to spark in her eyes. He could see as her confidence began returning, a slow smile slowly building one her face. She reached out and took the offered hand and Rin pulled her to her feet.

"Look around you Sora." He whispered, turning her toward her friends. "All these people are her to help you. And you know why?" he paused. "Because they care about you. And you always fight for the people you care about." He finished.

Sora looked at her friends who stared back with determined expressions. She gave them a nod, as if to say thank you, which was returned by each one of them in turn. However, the moment was interrupted by an impatient Belial.

"**How sweet. It almost makes me sick. Now, if you are done, I have a bloodbath to begin."**

The young exorcists looked at the demon before them with renewed resolve.

"Rin?" he turned to find Sora looking at him, her lips pulled up in a wicked grin, dark eyes gleaming with a hidden fire. "Let's go."

**xxxxx**

**AN: This chapter ended up being longer than I had intended, so the battle is being split into two parts. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. Thank you for the kind reviews! They keep me motivated to keep writing.**


	11. Until the End

_We get up  
We get knocked down  
We get lost behind the crowd  
Looking for a new way out  
It's hard to stand but we won't bow tonight  
We won't bow tonight_

_**-Keep Me Breathing (Ashes Remain)**_

**xxxxx**

As if spurred by some unspoken command, Sora and everyone behind her leapt into battle. This seemed to momentarily surprise Belial, though he quickly recovered and swung his sword with expert skill at his oncoming opponents.

Rin and Sora split off, Rin going to the left and Sora to the right, making an attempt to box Belial in before he noticed what they were doing. Shima caught the first downswing of Belial's blade with his staff, the force of it knocking him back a few feet. Rin jumped in the air, meaning to bring Kurikara down on his back as Belial had done to his brother. Mid-jump, Sora cracked her whips, catching the back of Belial's legs.

Roaring at the pain, Belial vanished and Rin sword came down through empty air. "Shit." He cursed. "Where did he go?" His question was soon answered when Belial appeared behind him, sword blazing. Swearing again, Rin turned just in time to parry the blow, sliding back like Shima had.

Catching himself, Rin dashed forward with a speed he didn't know he had, and brought his own blade down on the demon. Moving rapidly, Belial dodged, the tip of the sword slashing through his clothes and nothing more.

"**Your determination has improved your skill. But no matter, I will cut you down all the same."** Belial growled and resumed his attack.

This time it was Shiemi, who had joined the battle, Izumo, Konekomaru, and Suguro with the counterattack. Shiemi had summoned her familiar as well, the little greenman, and it proceeded to spout an impenetrable wall from its small body. Belial found himself trapped inside what appeared to be the roots of a tree, which left just enough space for Izumo's familiars to slip through.

As the foxes began to attack Belial in his confined state, Konekomaru through binding spells through the branches in an attempt to limit the demon's power while Suguro chanted verses trying to find the right one to hurt Belial. Their efforts however, proved fruitless.

"**Pests!" **bellowed Belial. He once again swung his blade, causing the foxes to retreat. The power of the attack blew a hole through the wall, knocking Shiemi back into another tree, rendering her unconscious.

"**You will not stand in my way." **His voice had become deadly calm and Sora and Rin glanced at each other in apprehension before turning their attention back to their opponent. In the small amount of time they had taken their eyes off of him, his appearance had changed.

The dark aura that had surrounded him had thickened and seemed to permeate his body, Belial becoming one with the darkness around him, no longer holding a true shape. Where his ears had been, stark white, curled horns had grown. His eyes no longer held any trace of white, they were completely black and Rin felt as though he was looking into the pits of hell when he tried to meet Belial's gaze.

"**Do you understand now? You cannot beat me. I am darkness itself and you will never escape me." **His voice began to amplify as he spoke, becoming a yell by the end of his sentence.

The air thickened with is rage and Sora stared in horror for a moment before regaining her composure, preparing for his next attack…but it never came.

The next thing she knew, Sora found herself plunging into a void of nothingness. Black engulfed her. She could see nothing, hear nothing. She was alone. Right before she thought she was going to scream a deep voice echoed around her.

"**I must say, you have done just as well as your mother. You have her spirit. But now you are in my world, and I will break you just as I did her." **At the end of his words a dim light appeared a few feet to her left. In it, stood Belial. "**I will give you one last chance. Join me or die." **

"_**I will never join you**_." She snarled.

"**Very well, doll. If that is your choice, then face me."** The light disappeared and Sora whirled around to find him behind her. "**Attack."** He ordered, and she did.

Sora threw herself into battle once more, cracking her whips, hitting Belial in the chest, but not doing any serious damage. Every time he dodged, she fired another attack at him. It wasn't long before she became confused.

_Why is he not fighting back?_

She shook off her thoughts. Now was not the time to be distracted.

**xxxxx**

Rin had been surprised when Belial had transformed in front of him, but that was nothing compared to when his girlfriend began to whirl around frantically, as if looking for something, only to have her gaze focus on him as she launched an attack.

Her first one had caught him so off guard, he had barely been able to escape serious damage from the slashes across his chest. Yelling her name desperately, he dodged her barrage of attacks. He was _not _about to harm his girlfriend.

_What the hell is going on?_

Belial's evil laugh sounded again even though he was nowhere to be seen. "**You must choose now, boy. Save yourself, or save her. She will continue to attack until she thinks I am dead. Run while you can." **

It didn't take long for the pieces to click together in Rin's head. "You made her see me as you, which means that she is going to keep attacking me."

_Unless I can find a way to snap her out of it._ He didn't voice the last bit.

"**Correct. And you cannot stop it because you cannot stop me. I am darkness, and I exist everywhere." **Came the daunting reply.

"I will never back down. I will fight for her until I am dead." He said, receiving no reply other that another laugh.

But his words gave Rin an idea. Glancing over to where his friends stood, looking at a loss of what to do, he caught Suguro's attention. "Bon!" Rin yelled, Suguro's gaze snapping up to meet his own. Rin, knowing he couldn't give Belial any idea of his plan, threw everything he had into getting his thought to his friend _**"We need light." **_

Suguro only looked confused for a moment before catching on. Rin, grateful he had been successful, turned his attention back to Sora, who had replaced her whips in favor of long daggers manifested from her dark powers.

_I'll have to keep her occupied while the others work out the rest of the plan._

**xxxxx**

Sora was becoming increasingly angrier as Belial continued to evade her attacks. "_**Why don't you attack me coward!" **_she yelled. No response. She paused for a moment and let her whips dissipate into the darkness, replacing them with daggers the length of her arm. She ran at him again, catching him in the arm, satisfied with the gush of blood that ran from the cut.

Belial seemed to stop at her smile, his eyes going a little wide, and not bothering to contemplate his odd expression, dealt another blow to his stomach, creating a long gash across his belly. Belial dodged back and her next slashed caught him on the shoulders. Belial dropped and Sora grinned triumphantly.

Sora raised her arms and prepared to deliver the final blow… what she found herself blinded. The illusion slowly disintegrated. When Sora managed to open her eyes, she dropped to the ground in devastation.

"No." she whispered. Before her sat the only person that loved her in this world, bloody and broken. She sank to the ground sobbing and muttering "I'm so sorry" over and over as Rin pulled her into his arms. He shushed her gently as she tried to come to terms with what she had done, having realized immediately that Belial had tricked her.

A loud scream cut off their moment. Rin and Sora jumped to their feet. Around them, the others stood in a circle. Shiemi stood by the door to the dorm, so Rin assumed that she had been the one to turn on the courtyard lights. Izumo, Bon, Konekomaru and Shima had summoned some form of demon light to illuminate the rest of the courtyard, bright balls floating around their heads.

In the middle stood Belial, or at least, what was left of him. The demon was slowly fading in the light. It was Rin who spoke first. "Don't you see? Darkness cannot exist where there is only light. There is nothing for you here."

With those last words, Belial disappeared into nothing, for good this time. Then, taking one last, proud look around the circle and at the place where Belial had been, Rin passed out.


	12. Forever

_And I'd like to hold you here in my arms_

_And have you never leave_

_And I'd like to give you all that I have_

_To have you stay with me_

_**-You Don't See Me (Saftysuit)**_

**xxxxx**

Rin woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and a terrible pounding in his head. Groaning, he made an attempt to sit up, only to have that attempt thwarted by the aches and pains that radiated through his body. He shut his eyes from the pain an when he opened them again, he found himself faced with a worried, liquid silver gaze.

"Sora." He managed in a small whisper. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around as much as he could without sitting up again. He didn't recognize anything.

"You're in the hospital. It seems that you took most of the beating in the fight." She answered, looking sad and guilty.

_She blames herself for everything that happened…_

Rin reached out and took Sora's hand, squeezing it. "It's over now." He said, trying to convey all the thoughts and feelings in his head at that moment. Sora looked at him and her sad expression morphed into one of gratefulness as she squeezed back.

"It's over." She repeated.

"So, how long have I been out?" he groaned, slightly dreading the answer. The last thing he needed was an extra pile of homework.

"Two days. Everyone has been worried about you. Even Bon, though good luck trying to get him to admit it." She giggled. "By the way, they should all be coming to visit you in couple hours when school lets out. They will be glad to see you're awake." She added.

Rin smiled at the thought of his friends fussing over him and began to laugh with Sora when a thought struck him. He gasped, "How's Yukio?" he asked suddenly.

Sora smiled at him. "He sustained some pretty nasty wounds, but he will live. He actually woke up yesterday morning and demanded to be released. The nurses couldn't stop him, so I guess he's fine." She began giggling again and this time Rin joined in without hesitation.

_Stupid Yukio. _

"So, what will we do until everyone else shows up?" he asked with a slightly suggestive raise of his eyebrows. Sora smirked.

"Careful now. We don't want to do anything that could cause you more harm. Though I do have a few ideas." She whispered as she leaned in to kiss him. When she pulled away, with a sound of disappointment from Rin, she motioned for him to move over. Adjusting himself slowly in the hospital bed he made room for his girlfriend next to him. Sora climbed in beside him and rested her head on his chest carefully.

"I'm glad you're alright." She said in a moment of seriousness. "I don't think I could have dealt with losing you."

Rin looked down at the girl he cared so much about and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You won't lose me. Not anytime soon. Not ever, if I can help it." He said, quietly. Rin tightened his grip and the couple sat that way in silence until Rin fell asleep once more.

**xxxxx**

By the time their group of friends came barging through the door, Rin had woken up, Sora still lying on his chest. The two had adjusted and were now curled together on the small bed watching whatever they could find on the hospital television. In fact, they were so comfortable in their position that it completely startled them when Bon threw the door open shouting something about Rin being an idiot.

"I'm sure what he means to say is, 'Rin, good to see you finally awake,' or something like that." Said Izumo, shooting Suguro a small glare, causing everyone to giggle.

"Yeah, something like that," muttered Bon, staring obstinately off to the side.

Shiemi stepped forward holding what looked to be some sort of potted plant. "I'm glad you're okay Rin. We were all really worried about you." she said in her soft voice, smiling at her friend. She set the odd, yet pretty plant on the table beside his bed and moved to sit in one of the chairs in the room, the others doing the same.

Everyone decided to stay as late as thy could, each doing their own homework, both for high school and cram school, while talking about odd topics. The most popular focused on Sora and her abilities, since they had not been able to finish that conversation the other night. Bon had been nice enough (even though he acted as gruff as ever) to get Rin's assignments for him and even offered his help when Rin seemed to be having trouble. But mostly, the group just sat enjoying everyone's company, all relieved that the recent battle was over and they were all alright.

When it came to be late in the evening, a nurse came in to inform them that they had to leave. This was met by a few complaints, but in the end, only Sora was permitted to stay because Rin had refused to let her leave. However, she was forced to leave the bed, much to Rin's disappointment.

After everyone had left, Sora pulled up a chair next to the bed and he sat with her hand in his. They sat and watched television for a while longer before Rin heard a soft sniffle beside him. He glanced over just in time to see a single tear slide down Sora's cheek. Rin moved to turn off the television while simultaneously wiping the offending drop from the girl's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

Sora smiled sadly. "I could have killed you," she whispered. "I almost did." Rin's eyes widened.

"But you didn't," he stated bluntly.

"You wouldn't even be in here if it wasn't for me." She sobbed, more tears beginning to leak down her face as she motioned to the bed he was lying in. She looked at the ground. "Everyone would be fine if I had never come here."

Rin smiled softly. "Don't you get it? I'm here because I chose to fight for the person I care about most." He said, squeezing her hand. When she didn't make a move to respond, he took his other hand and placed it on her cheek, pulling her face up to look at him. Sora looked at him with eyes glistening with tears. Moving carefully, so as not to hurt himself too much, he brought her lips to his in a soft kiss.

"And I would do it again." He whispered, pressing their foreheads together. "I love you, Sora."

Sora gasped and looked at Rin with an expression that took his breath away. "I love you, Rin." She cried, but this time the tears were happy ones.

"I will always be there to catch you." he stated, confidently, yet tenderly at the same time.

"Promise?" asked Sora with a hint of teasing edging into her voice.

"Always and forever." He promised, and sealed it with a kiss.

_**Our gift, it burns like fire**_

**xxxxx**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed the story (sorry if the end was a bit ooc). A special thanks to everyone who reviewed. It means a lot. :) **


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